The present invention relates to a process for the production of liquid steel from iron containing metal oxides and, more particularly, a process for the direct production of liquid steel wherein a hot discharge of direct reduced iron (DRI or sponge iron) is fed to a melting furnace with the process gases from the direct reduction furnace for refining the DRI to liquid steel.
It is known in the prior art to convert DRI (direct reduced iron or sponge iron) from the direct reduction of iron containing metal oxides to molten form for producing liquid steel. Typical processes disclosed in the prior art involve continuous processes to obtain molten iron and to use the molten iron to produce steel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,476 discloses a method for producing steel which combines a direct reduction vessel with a basic oxygen furnace. In the process of the '476 patent, the DRI produced by the direct reduction of iron containing metal oxides is loaded into a basic oxygen furnace. During the melting and refining process in the oxygen furnace enough reducing gas is produced to reduce iron ore to DRI in the reduction operation.
Naturally, it would be highly desirable to provide a process for the production of liquid steel from iron containing metal oxides which combines direct reduction reactors with steelmaking furnaces wherein the reduction of the metal oxides generates enough reducing gas in situ which can be used as an energy source for the melting furnace used to produce liquid steel.
Accordingly, it is the principle object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the producing of liquid steel from iron containing metal oxides.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a process as set forth above which employs a direct reduction reactor in combination with a steelmaking furnace.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a process as set forth above wherein the reduction process generates reducing gas in situ in the reduction vessel in an amount sufficient to be used as an energy source for the steelmaking melting furnace.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.